


One Jump

by Synapsida



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies), Star Trek: The Original Series
Genre: Angst, Disney References, F/M, Fluff, Reader-Insert, Unplanned Pregnancy, kinda goes with the pregnancy part, lots of implied sex happens, this is part one i will write a second series for this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-12
Updated: 2018-07-07
Packaged: 2019-04-22 00:03:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,291
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14296344
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Synapsida/pseuds/Synapsida
Summary: This was first a prompt done by me for my drabble night.I liked the concept so much that I had to make it a full fledged fic!Reader grew up on a planet that’s basically Tatooine in Star Trek. She’s a thief and tried to steal from the wrong Starfleet-Officer, getting herself stuck on the Enterprise.





	1. Chapter 1

Dirt had been part of your live for a very long time no. So long in fact, that you couldn’t remember a moment without it. Sand scratching over your knees, ripping open pieces of skin when you slid through a hole on the ground, under some machinery buried there for years and converted into a piece of housing. You picked yourself up. There was a flash of red in front of you and your eyes picked up the shape of something metallic in grease covered hands. A mechanic. Mechanic stuff was expensive. Without thinking much you started to run, weaving yourself through the crowd that separated you and what looked like a week worth of food.  
One, two, three long steps. Sidestep. Deliberate bump - Oh, Sorry, Sir, I am so sorry Sir, I would never have bumped into a Starfleet officer, I am so sorry, Sir, Sorry to disturb you, Sir - and before his brain had processed half of what you had said, or so you thought, you had grabbed the tool - or whatever it was ripped it right out of his hands and continued your running and weaving through the crowd. Angry yelling and the stomping of footsteps followed you.

But it was one thing to catch one of the young ones pocketing stuff for the first time and someone who had 20 something years to perfect her technique and knowledge of the town you were survigin off. Ducking under a house you vanished between steaming pipes and more people.  
„She’s stolen it, that lass stole it!“ a voice yelled behind you.

You felt smug to say the least, turning the delicate machinery in your hands. From the looks of it, that thing would make a decent amount of money on the black market. Buy food for you and a couple young ones. At least a week, you guessed. Better sell it not to expensive, or else someone would get suspicious. People always got suspicious when you stole Starfleet stuff. At least when it was not provisions - like some medicine or a replicator or scrap metal - but something special.  
The problem with being smug and over confident was that one tended to lose the edge on their senses, get inattentive. That’s when you bumped head first into Butcher. Butcher was tall, sensibly dumb and had a grip made of steel.  
„Y/N! Nice to see you!“  
That was the shortest victory you ever had had in your life. Not counting that one time you tried to con that prostitute in a brothel.  
„Butcher“, you groaned as his hands tightened around your arms, his eyes wandering down to the machinery in your hands, you continued talking:  
“I assume I deserve this, but can you tell me why you want to kill me this time?”  
He barely repressed a chuckle.  
„Stole from the wrong people. Starfleet People. Paying a lot.“  
„More then this is worth?“ you waved the little machinery in your hands. It felt cold in your hands.  
„More.“  
He had never been the talkative kind, now deciding to drag you along.

It was the men from before, although the first thing you saw of him were standard issue leather boots, black and polished with a layer of fine sand giving them an ocker shade. Butcher threw you and you managed landing on your hands and knees, felt how sand grains buried into the fine skin of your hands. You grit your teeth, slowly lifting your head. Operation red. Engineering insignia. Commanding officer. Dark-reddish hair and a stern look that was softened as soon as he saw your face. You hated the expression already.  
„That was not a smart move, lass.“ he said and his accent felt heavy in your ears. Something more to hate. Turning his attention from you to Butcher they sealed the deal. Starfleet was not usually into slave trade, but the security officers behind him hinted at the fact that this was not yet over. Never had the fact that Butcher was leaving made you so uneasy and you decided to not move any further.  
„A’right“, the officer said, his eyes turning back over to you.  
„Captain’s wanting to see ya, lass. Wants to know what ya wanted to do with this fine piece of warp core accelerator.“  
You pressed your lips onto each other, taking air in in short, sharp breaths.   
„Montgomery Scott here, 5 to beam up, including our guest.“  
You felt the transporter beam grabbing you almost immediately, pulling at your molecules. It was a strange sensation and one more thing to hate about the incident.  
„It’s a free ride on the finest ship in the fleet, lass. Ya should be grateful.“


	2. Chapter 2

You could have very well forgone the opportunity to visit ‚the finest ship in the fleet‘, but here you were. Embarrassingly still on your knees in front of the Commanding officer when the transporter room materialized around you (or you materialized within the room? You never got that one right), you met a few gazes from a lot of different people, all of those ranging from slightly confused to mostly irritated at your presence. A hand appeared next to your face - you swatted it away in an instant, not even bothering to consider taking it. With gritting teeth you got up under the suspicious looks of security and the aloof look that man in red was shooting you. If you and the captain were off to a similar good start, this trip would prove a ton of fun.

The captain was a handsome man and you could see him break a heart or two easily, if he decided to do so. Still, something about him radiated a certain gentleness - as well as something impish hiding in the corner of his eyes. His ready room was functional - big table, monitor, no unnecessary pomp. He sat there - a Vulcan at his right side, a dark haired man to his left who’s expression matched your feelings pretty well. The commanding officer that got robbed by you trailed after you like a lost puppy, while your friends from security flanked you on two sides and seemed utterly un-charmed by your normally price-worthy smile. Starfleet gained a few ranks on your mental list of ‚people not to steal from‘, nearly dethroning that brothel gig you once tried. Boy, that was a bad day. Starfleet was known to be very nice and kind and considerate and so being stuck in a ready room with a couple of not that bad looking guys was not yet the worst thing that had ever happened to you.  
„That’s the one?“  
„Aye, Sir. That’s the one.“  
„Looks… vicious.“ he flashed you a smile as if trying to win you over. Not that it was that easy.  
„Not that talkative either. What’s your name? And please don’t make that more difficult then it has to be.“  
„Y/N.“ you shrugged, there was no need to keep it a secret. As far as the fleet went, and every other soul in the universe, you practically didn’t exist. Props to being raised and bred on that stupid rock.  
„And your last name?“  
„None.“  
„None?“  
„Yeah, N-O-N-E“  
„You’re kidding me, right?“  
„You’re the one that started it.“  
You could see the lips of the black haired man twitch suspiciously, while the captain lifted his hand to rub the back of his nose.  
„Okay, Y/N“, he stretched your name a bit more then necessary. Starfleet guys ran out of patience so fast. „I’m Captain James Tiberius Kirk and you’re on board the Enterprise. Not gonna lie to you - stealing that… what is it again, Mr. Scott?“  
„It’s an accelerator for the warp core, Sir. It will help differentiate…“  
„Thank you, Mr. Scott. So, Y/N, you heard the man. Stealing that was a very bad idea. Question is: Why would you steal such a specific piece of equipment?“  
„What were you doing with that specific piece of equipment planetside anyway?“ you raised your eyebrows and the captain shot you a look you couldn’t quite decipher.  
„Why, Y/N?“  
„I only steal what I can’t afford.“ you offered with a shrug and a grin.  
„And that’s warp core equipment?“  
„That’s everything.“

* * *

„I advise to confine her to a cell for now.“, that was the Vulcan talking. „As we need to -„ the Captain cut him off by raising his left hand.  
„Thank you, Mr. Spock.“  
It was amazing to watch the dynamics between those people.  
„A cell? Grow a heart, Spock, and have a look. What she needs is a hot shower and a good meal.“  
„I really don’t know how a shower could benefit, but I’ll take the meal anytime.“  
„Ya’re not the one bein’ asked here, lass, and if I may offer my opinion, Captain - I’d agree with the Doctor and prioritize the shower first. Sorry, lass.“  
The captain lifted his hand again before anyone got the chance at a full fledged argument.  
„Security, confine her to an empty quarter. Standard procedure. Doctor McCoy, have a look at her after she had a bath and a meal, don’t want our guest sick. Dismissed.“

* * *

Despite your general skepticism at the shower you had to agree, if only to yourself, that hot running water was a wonderful new experience. You spent at least an hour there, watching the water - you had never seen so much water in your life - and watching just how much dust you washed off your skin and out of your hair. When the smell of food - something hot and very hearty - reached the bathroom and convinced you to step out of the shower, it’s tiled floor felt slick with sand and dirt.  
The meal had all the qualities you cherished in a good meal, that was: it was hot and did not fight being eaten in the first place. Nor did it wriggle, squirm or have a vague fuzzy surface quality. In short: You’ve had had a lot worse. The clothes you’d been given were standard issue star fleet „guest“ clothes, while your quarters had a bed, a bath and a replicator that was out of order for now. Probably to keep you from replicating something to make life aboard the Enterprise a bit too interesting. After giving the room a quick once over you were also pretty sure that escape would only go one way - through the front door. And since nobody was about to kill or maim you anytime soon you decided to lay down on your bed, stretch out your legs and wonder if it would be possible to steal one of these beds for the small place where you used to hide planetside.

* * *

As was promised by the captain a couple of hours later two guards, still unaffected by your charming smile, accompanied you to the medbay - a big place that smelled sterile and stank from medicine. No good memories stirred at that and you felt your limbs stiffen and your heart rate pick up.  
„You’re late.“ the Doctor huffed as a greeting.  
„It’s not like I could leave the room witho-„  
„Just get on this biobed“, he looked down on his PADD, then over to you, waving with the PADD in his hand. „Don’t be shy, won’t hurt. It will give me a few readings and I’ll get a look at your overall health.“  
You moved onto the bed not without hesitation - first feeling with your hands, admiring the curious soft cushioning for a second. Then you sat down on the edge. Interestingly, the Doctor waited patiently, explaining throughout the whole time what a biobed was and how it worked. Not that you’d never seen one (it was not like you grew up in the Beta quadrant or something like that), you just never had actually had a heart to heart with one before. You saw a few crewman jumping in and out of other biobeds in the sickbay. Finally, you laid down and took a deep breath.  
„Heart rate’s a bit high, but I assume that’s due to you being anxious.“  
„I’m not anxious.“ you replied and discovered with great sadness that the security guards were still watching you intently. Pity.  
„Sure, and I’m a pointy eared first officer.“  
After that he didn’t say a lot for a while, just an occasional „Ah“ or „Oh“.  
Lying on your back you could not see much, but heard steps approach and stop next to the doctor.  
„There was a lassie hiding under all that sand“, the voice remarked casually, while handing something over to the Doctor.  
You bared your teeth at the voice and snarled.  
„Careful, Mr. Scott, she’s going to eat you alive. Thank you.“  
„I’ll see her try, Doctor.“ the engineer lingered for a moment, then excused himself, obviously done with whatever business he had here and first vanished out of the corner of your eye and, by the sound of his steps, the room altogether.  
„So, Doctor. Tell me, how long do I have?“  
He snorted at your sound bite, not looking up from his PADD.  
„We need to get rid of a few Belzoidian fleas and one or two other parasites.“  
„So, Starfleet starts by taking away my family, huh?“  
„And because you’re such a charm to work with, you’ll get your vaccines all at once.“ he raised an eyebrow at you, got up and turned around to file in one of the cabinets in medbay, producing a couple of hypos. You started squirming in the bed.  
„And if you don’t stop right now and let me get to work, I’ll just sedate you. Can’t have you run around and infect the whole crew with whatever my sensors are not catching.“

* * *


	3. Chapter 3

After he had punched enough hypos into your arm to lose count and make your upper body slowly go numb, the Doctor informed you of the various side effect you’d ‚surely develop‘ over the next few hours. Amongst them were fever, possible swellings in a variety of forms, a cold, but „nothing serious and we’re monitoring your life signs and position anyway“ - which was how you were escorted back to your quarters.

Time passed. You learnt to admire the slight curve of your quarters walls. How efficient everything here was, how clean, almost sterile to the point of lifeless. You assumed that the other quarters surely bore some sign of inhabitation by their respective owners, otherwise people had to go mad on these ships. Wherever you had slept before - sand and dust had always been your constant companion. You noticed this only now because it’s absence was so obvious. Everything was so … smooth up here. You laid down, putting your head on the soft pillow. Nice. You’d steal one of those on your way out. The one you had back home was a couple of years old and had seen a lot, as well as being stuffed with a dried grass that grew on the outskirts of any farm. Minutes passed while you wondered about this world you’d suddenly found yourself in, minutes where you started to feel a tingle in your arms where only numbness had been before, a temperature rise to your cheeks first and then spread throughout your body. You kicked the shoes off of your feet, carefully tucking your toes under the blanket. Damn. It was hot in here.  
You watched your vision blurr - your surroundings slowly went in and out of focus. At least you were comfortable. The heat continued to creep through your body, made your head ache and the light in your room feel too intense for comfort. Was this normal? Or was it some kind of poison? Had they poisoned you? If so, you were going to kill them. Deceptive Starfleet Doctors. It was hot and bright now and you felt your skin stretch over your bones in an uncomfortable way. With shaking hands you felt for your blanket and slowly pulled it up to your chin. As fast as drops of sweat had started forming on your forehead, a sudden coldness swept over you, replacing the heat and making you shake and shudder with a freezing sensation.

* * *

You had no idea how much time had passed between your first symptoms and the sound of boots stepping closer.  
„She looks like shit.“ the image of the Doctor - did he have a name? If he did, you didn’t remember - accompanied the voice.  
„Not as bad as when we picked her up.“ the heavy accent was unmistakable. Heat bubbled in your body, sadly for none of the good reasons.  
„No. But you’ll have to postpone your interview with her.“  
You turned your head to look at the two through swollen eye lids.  
„She’ll have to sleep it off. I’ll come back in the evening to have a look at her.“  
„Ya’re goin’ to leave her alone?“, the redshirt asked, raising his eyebrows quizzically.   
„She’ll do just fine. Don’t tell me you like her.“ the doctor shot you a look and you glared back at him. „She still looks like she’s going to eat you alive.“ he laughed, while the other man did not.  
„Bullshit, Doctor. But I have some reports I can finish here and maybe I’ll get some information out of her the captain needs.“  
The doctor shrugged, nodded briefly to the both of you and left you alone.

* * *

Mr. Scott - you rediscovered his name in a moment of feverish clarity - had pulled up a chair next to your bed and seemed completely unbothered by your occasional moaning. He typed on his PADD and for all you could care, he could’ve sat in his office (or wherever he usually stayed on this chunk of metal and glass). At one point the pain in your head got bad enough for you to groan and put a swollen hand over your eyes. He looked up from his PADD, sighed and got up to vanish in the bathroom. He came back with wet piece of cloth, watched you for a second writhe and then put it over your forehead. His hands smelled like oil and soap and just a moment later the lights in your room lowered down considerably. „Doctor said you can’t get a pain killer, not with all the stuff you already got today.“ he said, his voice low, as if whispering to no body in particular, and got back to working on his PADD. You refused to reply and shortly afterwards forgot he was there, slipping in and out of feverish dreams.

* * *

> _You were back in the dirt. You felt the sand between your feet and watched in amazement as your feet carried you swiftly through the streets and alleys, pickpocketing whatever you needed along the way. It would’ve been a lie to claim that life down here had always been good to you, you mused, sun burning down on your head. The strongest heat was yet to come and before that happened, you’d’ve long vanished into the darkness below the city. Your feet were tiny. You approached a gap in a wall before you, too small, too small, your mind yelled but you fit in easily, sliding through it in a swift motion cultivated by years of practice. That was… years ago._  
>  The sun was merciless by now, as if it was trying to burn you up from the inside.  
> What day was it.  
> Sand and gravel crunched between your toes. Yelling in the distance.  
> What day…  
> Your feet carried you away, not caring for your own volition.  
> This day …

* * *

„Lassie.“  
You yelped awake, a weak sound that ended in an even weaker groan.  
How your body hurt.  
„Dinna move, lassie.“  
Ignoring the voice - what was he going to tell you anyway- you jerked up as far as you could and a pair of strong hands landed on your shoulder. The way your skin felt like it was burning up from the inside, stretching and aching, made you sink back into your pillow quickly.  
„I’m dying. You’re killing me.“  
„Na,“ he did not talk but mumble away in his strange accent. „Doctor said yer goin’ to be fine. But ye need rest.“  
Your eyelids felt heavy and it took all your willpower to keep your eyes open. He was close now and you felt hands tugging the bedsheet around you.  
„It’s so hot, don’t.“ you protested.  
„As it’s supposed to be.“, he stated matter-of-factly and got up, taking the now nearly dried cloth with him and vanishing into the bathroom again. He came back and leaned over to put the cloth back on your forehead.  
„I hate you lot.“  
„Sure“  
His eyes were dark brown with a hint of blue.  
„I’ll kill you, you know.“ your voice trailed off at the end, as your eyes fell shut, eyelids too heavy to keep them open anymore.  
„Sure you will.“ his voice was like the comforting sound of waves gently crashing on a distant beach. You had seen it once. A beach. You thought. Dark stone, slowly hollowed out by blue water.


	4. Chapter 4

You finally woke hours later - your room empty and the ship humming lowly. The fever was gone and, just as the doctor had promised, you felt a lot better. No bethaoizdan fleas anymore, you guessed, carefully lifting yourself into an upright position. Your head was still buzzing and someone - the one. the engineer. - had thankfully positioned a glass of water just next to your bed. Of course the water helped. „Great, now I owe him something.“, you muttered under your breath, then, after your head cleared enough, you got up an carefully stretched.  
You looked around the blank walls lacking any kind of personal touch.  
„And now?“  
Silence.

Someone brought food a little while later, but had - despite considerable efforts charming him - nothing to say about your situation.  
You spent some time examining the funny texture of the stuff before you ate it, not because you felt like an ape from the stone age, but because you had nothing better to do.  
Again time slogged along without you participating in it’s passing. It was a boring, dull experience that made you wish for Mr. Scott or the Doctor reappearing. Your hopes rose as your door opened once again, but ti was just another faceless person clad in a red uniform to you. He handed you a grey dress - same uniform the others wore, minus the colour.  
„Did I get a promotion during my absence yesterday?“ you asked jokingly, but where only greeted with a nonchalant smile. „Yeah, please don’t be overbearing or something like that.“, you rolled your eyes. „I’m dying with all the attention here. Gonna get a heart-„ but the doors had already closed behind you again. „Damn it.“ you mumbled.

By the time the door opened for the next time you had already examined every nook of your quarters and finally resigned to lie in your bed in your new dress, slightly uncomfortable with the way it left your knees unprotected and nearly bored to death.  
„Y/A“ - Captain Kirks presence filled the room as soon as he entered it. No wonder he was captain of a ship. He had charisma and his beaming smile probably had won over more diplomats and women then anyone could count. Sly bastard.  
He was followed by his loyal entourage - the vulcan - a species you’d had rarely contact with so far - the dark haired doctor on his other side and even Mr. Scott trailing along.  
„Ah, hm, Captain!“ you sat up and gave him your most charming smile in return. „Do I have to say ‚Sir‘ in return or have I not yet been enlisted?“  
He smiled - well, a bit, and shook his head. „No one is going to enlist you, we’ve got regulations after all. Freedom of will being one of them.“  
„At least when it comes to enlisting,“ mumbled the Doctor next to him. He was only barely audible, but Kirk threw him a stern look nonetheless. „That was highly unnecessary,“ the vulcan added in his neutral voice.  
„Good god you’re bickering like an old married couple.“ you giggled and you could swear that Mr. Scott was smiling at you.  
„Not that our relationship status should be of much concern to you, young lady.“ he smiled again. It was very difficult to be angry with him for keeping you on the ship. „As you have more pressing concerns right now.“  
„Ah, the trial. Bring it on. I am prepared.“ you crossed your legs and smoothened the fabric of your grey uniform with your hand. The scotsman, who had been quiet for the whole time so far, frowned.  
„There’s no trial.“, Kirk responded and crossed his arms in front of his chest. „Not yet.“  
„Although it is worthy to note“, that was the vulcans voice again - stern, eyeing you suspiciously. „That we found 53 offenses in 14 different cities on the planet. Captain Kirk has decided to not follow through with local law.“  
„Which, if I may cite my first officer, is ‚highly illogical‘. But being the situation as it is I suppose most of the local courts are not opposed to being bribed.“  
„Yes, the concept of institutionalized exchange of goods to avoid persecution of the law is rather … interesting.“  
„Thank you, Mr. Spock“, Kirk interfered and a smile tugged at his lips again.  
„I propose a quid pro quo.“  
Meeting your blank stare, he explained further: „We are looking for a peculiar piece of equipment on the planet you haven’t gotten the chance to steal yet.“ You did your best to look mortally offended at his suggestion, but gestured him to yes please keep going on.  
“Mr. Scott here would fill you in on the details, tell and show you what to look out for. Then you’d acquire the equipment for us.“  
Mr. Spock felt it necessary to intervene: „By legal means of course.“  
„Yes - and after we have the equipment we need, you’re free to go wherever you want.“  
Somehow you felt that the Captain wasn’t as opposed to get what he needed by other means if necessary as his first officer was. Something in your brain tried to pinch you, but you didn’t quite get it.  
„Why me?“ you asked and quickly followed your question up: „I mean, yes, I can do that for you. Sounds like a fair deal and you starfleet types are way too ‚by-the-book‘ to shy out of that. But why me? You’ve got a ship full of people. You’ve got Mr. Scott here, who is I guess married to this thing. Why me?“  
Kirk chuckled and the Doctor at his side smiled amused.  
„Let’s just say that I see a worthy local guide and I think we’re going to need someone able to navigate the more delicate places down there.“  
He rubbed his hands together and looked satisfied now.  
„With that sorted out, I’ll leave you to Mr. Scott.“.

Mr. Scott and you eyed each other cautiously. You had not forgotten how nice he’d been to you - but neither had you forgotten that he was the reason you were stuck here in the first place.  
He in turn looked at you like one would look at a wild cat - a tense beast where one had reason to be mindful of every move.  
„Well, Lass,“ he shuffled with his feet and cleared his throat. „Better follow me to Engineering then. Captain’s given you clearance to move around the Enterprise“ he opened the door and gestured for you to leave the room, then added: „To a certain extent.“

* * *

The Enterprise was a whole new world - more than a city really, more than a ship, it was a little planet in itself and the warp core was its living beating heart. Mr. Scott explained the shifts, that you were in Beta right now and pretty late already. He then gave you a general rundown of the most important bits of the ship - mess hall („Yes, Lass, we’re goin’ to go there. Yes, you can get everything ya want. No. Not now.“), lift („Ya’re restricted to certain decks, don’t try, otherwise we’ll know.“) and the ships belly - engineering. Even there you weren’t allowed to go just everywhere, but it was a good enough start. He showed you the main engineering room, his rough hands stroking over the warm metal. Where others may have seen an inapt sexuality - but you saw a gentle devotion there, an intimate worship that went beyond physical.

You were in fact sitting on his desk, careful not to touch any buttons by accident, your legs dangling from the edge, leaning slightly forward while listening to his rundown of the main reactor.

You were slightly suspicious that Captain Kirk had perhaps not in mind for you to learn the whole manual of the warp core, but since the alternative was to sit alone and brooding in your room, this was you’d complain about. It was also nice to learn something about this ship. At least that’s what you told yourself.  
„ … and tha’s how ya modulate the subspace bands.“ he finished and looked up, making a hushing gesture to get you off of his desk. You jumped down, smirking up at him.  
„All that talk has made me hungry, Mr. Scott.“  
„Ach…are ye ever not hungry?“ he lifted an eyebrow and grinned at you. That was a new one, you thought and then shrugged.  
„Don’t think so, Mr. Scott.“  
„Then follow me, Lass. Jus’ wanted ta give ya a short introduction anyways. We’re getting to the real work tomorrow.“  
You shot him an side eye but said nothing.  
„And Lass…“  
„Yes?“  
„It’s Scotty for ya. Just good ol’ Scotty.“

While eating with him you learned that he was in fact rather easy going - other crew members would regularly come up to the table you were sitting at, greeting him and throwing you curious glances. With your grey uniform you stuck out like a sore thumb. He was called „Mr. Scott“ or „Scotty“ depending on the person. The younger those addressing him were, the most likely it was for them to be more formal around him. You even heard the occasional „Sir“.   
Food was good - better then a lot of stuff you’d had before and since you could choose your dinner it was even to your taste.  
„Ya’ve ever been on a ship before?“  
You shook your head while simultaneously stuffing the last bites of food into your mouth.  
„Nah… Never been off planet before.“  
He just nodded, silently, and watched you finishing your plate.  
„Ya know we got someone to clean the plates. Ya don’t need to do it here.“  
For a second you just stared at him, then broke into laughter.  
„You know, for an uptight starfleet type you’re surprisingly funny.“  
He laughed with you.

At the start of that Gamma shift you lay awake for a while before falling to sleep. Staring at the ceiling with the lights dimmed down. Turning around every now and then. Yeah. You were definitely taking this pillow with you.

* * *

„And that’s how you decide if it’s an Type A or a Type B modulator, lass…. lass… are ye even listening to me?“  
You snapped back to attention, cleared your throat and tried your best to look innocent. „Sorry, Mr. Scott.“  
He had been pushing facts about gadgets and machinery and even physics in your head for the last 3 days and sometime around noon yesterday, you had felt how your brain had basically shut the flood gates and resigned to nodding along and staring at him.  
Which you had enjoyed quite a bit. The staring, not the nodding part.  
Whenever he picked something up you had the opportunity to ogle at a very fine backside in those black trousers and there was no denying that his broad shoulders were filling his uniform just perfectly. Not that you would’ve said something like that aloud.  
„…listening?“  
So much for snapping back to attention.  
„I’m sorry… it’s just…“, you sighed, got off your chair and stretched.  
„I’m someone employed in commodity trading..“  
„Ya mean petty thief.“  
„…not an engineer. It’s all been a bit much.“, you finished and shrugged, no biting at his remark.  
„Don’t have ta be an engineer to get this, come over.“ you followed order and stepped up to his side. „Look, if ya turn it around…“  
„They both look the same. They’re identical. I swear you’re making that up.“  
„‘am not.“, he sighed, a deep furrow appearing on his brow.

Handing you over the item he grabbed one of your hands and took it in his.

„Look“, the engineer muttered and his calloused fingers rubbed against the back of your hand as he gently pushed your hand over the smooth metal. „Feel that concave there?“. You nodded, prefering to better not say anything right now.

„Now take that“, without letting go of your hand he took Type A (or Type B?) from your hand and gave you the other one. He slid your hand over the metal once again and you could feel his admiration for the fine piece of machinery in the way he applied gentle pressure, stretched your fingers slightly to show you just how and where the structure bent exactly. Right there you could really imagine those hands doing that somewhere else. Someone seemed to have dropped a hot lump of coal in your belly, where it sank deeper and made your cheeks burn.  
„I… see, Scotty.“ stumbling over the words you looked up from the thing in your hands and stared right up into hazel eyes, darkening as he met your gaze. For seconds you stood there - just staring at each other like idiots, or like cats still undecided to fight. Finally - it felt like hours. Hours someone used to fill more coal into your body - the engineer let go of your hands, turning around to put everything back in place.  
„That’ll be all for tonight, Y/N. Ya’re good to go.“

You waited for a moment to see if he would join you for your meal, like he did before. But he busied himself with putting everything back to place and after politeness and hope turned to awkwardness you rushed to get some food alone.

You hastily took your meal with you to your quarters, eating in silence before dimming your nights and staring at that ceiling once more. A deep sigh escaped your throat.  
Tomorrow was the last day of „training“ and then you were off, back where you belonged and far away from this complicated world.  
You burrowed your burning face in the pillow.

* * *

„Wait a second, Lassie.“  
You stopped your trajectory leading you to the mess hall and instead converted that bouncing energy in your step to turn around.  
„Mr. Scott.. Scotty?“  
The engineer smiled at you for a second, putting that thing (Type-I-Dunno-It’s-Made-of-steel) back where it belonged to. If you had to get one of those, you probably wouldn’t find the right one. Well. Their loss.  
„Would ya come to my office after ya’r meal?“  
You nodded warily, waiting for more of an explanation.  
„Tha’s all, thank ya.“

That was mysterious. At least for Starfleet standards. You choked down some food without even tasting it and proceeded to walk down to his office in engineering, your beating heart suppressing even the Enterprises low hum. He probably just wanted to do some last minute mission briefing. A few more lectures about machinery, or warp chore architecture, maybe another delighting evening of diagrams and techno babble. A last chance to admire his features.  
„There ya are. Follow me.“, his tone was almost brisk and commanding. It was so unusual, even though you only knew him for a couple of days really, that you followed his step without asking any questions. The scotsman looked as if he were in deep thought as he led you to the turbo lift, typed something on the panel there and crossed his arms behind his back without looking at you. You did consider asking him, but his stern look kept you from inquiring.  
You had never been in this room before when the lift doors opened, you knew that for sure. It was almost empty, sprawling at least half a deck wide. You stared in astonishment as you became aware of the fact that half of the ships hull was transparent, offering a panorama view of your surroundings.  
„Ya told me that ya’ve never been on a ship before,“ Scottys accent grew thicker as he spoke, rumbling through the words with a deep rich sound that reminded you of a distant storm in the desert.  
„Thought you’d appreciate the view“, he continued and took your hand, leading you forward, directly in front of the glass.  
„And here I thought you were going to throw me out of an airlock for being a nunsance,“ you joked. He grinned, but did not respond and instead let go of your hand.  
„Wait fer it…“  
The stars around you turned and it felt as if you were stumbling, your eyes getting the information of sudden movement where your inner ear noticed nothing. It felt like swaying in the breeze and then there it was - a orange ball, bright yellow spots and grey fumes hiding parts of the world beneath your feet. Your breath caught and this time you grabbed his hand, if only to anchor yourself in this reality.  
„Is this…?“  
„Aye“, he squeezed your hand gently. An excited buzz filled your belly, spread through your veins and along your spine.

You wanted to answer something, anything really but words escaped you as the Enterprise took it’s turn around the planet. Something blue shimmered down there and the distant memory of an ocean stirred in your heart, reminding you of the smell of plants and salt and sand under your feet.  
„Captain’s flying a maneuver right now“, he explained as the planets surface  
slowly vanished out of sight, was replaced by stars lighting up in the distance. His hand still squeezing yours sent a burning sensation up your arm and a cold shudder down your spine.  
„I could stay up here forever, Scotty.“ the admission came not easily to you, but up here, far above the sand and the dirt and the clouds it felt relevant to say it out aloud.  
„We dinnae have forever, but ye can have tonight.“

He was looking down on you and you stared up to him. Neither of you said anything, with only the endless sky of the universe rushing past you. Your world shrank down to his eyes and his thumb absent mindedly rubbing over the skin of your hand. Your world faltered into a single second, a moment that stretched into eternity where you got on the tip of your toes and took in the expression of satisfied disbelief as you pressed your lips on his. His sigh was one of relief and in one smooth movement he let go of your hand to pull you into his embrace.

„I’ll kill you“, you mumbled in between two kisses. You felt how his lips formed a smile. „Sure, lass.“  
The both of you knew there were eyes on you, but neither of you cared. Your fingers wove through his black hair, nesting at the back of his head. There was his body so close to yours - his arms wide enough for you to get lost in his embrace, his smell of cologne and electronics and oil attaching itself to you.  
„I’ll accompany ya to the surface tomorrow.“, he whispered at your ear.  
Your heart jolted a little at the thought.  
„And .. if ye want… dinnae… I’ve a wee something to drink at my quarters an’ maybe ye want to …“  
„Shut up, Mr. Scott.“, you kissed him again, making every further explanation futile.

* * *

His breast moved up and down as he slept, your fingers sprawled over his skin, gently touching him while you were lost in thought, slowly drifting away into sleep.  
He muttered something indistinguishable in his sleep, and turned around so that a heavy hand could land on your hip.  
Maybe, you thought, eyelids heavy. Maybe you should steal something else.


	5. Chapter 5

The transporter beam set you down just outside the city - sand and wind almost immediately clawing at your clothes and gripping for your hair. You coughed and looked around until your eyes found Mr. Scott. You grinned up to him.

The captain had sent someone this morning to do a bit of clothes shopping for the two of you - with Scottys starfleet uniform he’d stuck out like a sore thumb with where you planned to take him. Now he was clad in a simple shirt, dark brown trousers and good leather shoes. A shawl hid most of his face from the dust. You had your hair tied together and wore a similar outfit. You knew it was all a bit too tidy and neat and expensive, but at least tidy would only be a matter of time.

„Let’s get inside, Scotty.“ you said, pulling your own shawl closer around your face. „It’ll be better once we get inside the city walls.“

Much as a counterpart to your time on the Enterprise it was you that lead the dance this time - and he was committed to follow you. What a stark contrast this was - being on that sterile ship, that steel behemoth in one moment - and then in the blink of an eye you were back with the ground beneath your feet, real gravity pulling at your muscles. Familiar scents crept up on you and made you feel like home in an instant. There were spices in the air and warm sand. The faint smell of the scotsmen next you and the overwhelming sensation of a thousand people living and breathing here. A small weight seemed to fall of your heart - no matter how bad you had it down here, you knew this place and it’s nooks and crannies better then anything. The chief engineers voice rumbled next to you as you walked down the main street without any apparent goal: „What’s our plan, lass?“

„Headin’ home,“ you answered and prompted him to follow you, „see if anybody’s ransacked the place while I was on vacation“ - that was a word you’d never used before. How fast people changed. How fast you had changed in only a couple of days.

„Ya got a flat here?“

„Sort of.“ you glanced up at him and smirked. „Now let’s go.“

To Mr. Scott it turned out that ‚flat‘ was an understatement in that it was more of a house. ‚Yours‘ , on the other hand, was an overstatement as it was more or less just unattended by it’s current owners.

The furniture was run down and old, white sheets covering whatever you didn’t need or use and dust collecting in corners and behind doors - the place had certainly been neglected since it’s old owner died. That was until you had discovered the place - hidden away from the usual fuss of this city in a quiet corner where people seldom walked past it was perfect for your endeavors and much better then the occasional bridge you had slept under. Not to mention that one time you had taken shelter in an abandoned sewer. The smell still haunted you in your darkest nightmares.

„Welcome at my place, Mr. Scott. Make yourself welcome.“

His gaze was wary at best, lingering here and there. He did not talk, but followed you quietly inside.

„There’s a kitchen.. or a bath, you kinda decide.“

He nodded slowly, still not saying anything. Perhaps the way you lived - primitive in comparison to the luxuries on the starship - shocked him? You tried sneaking glancing at him now and then, but he was unreadable to you as long as he wanted. Whatever he felt or thought hidden behind some stoic scottish demeanor.

„And upstairs there’s a place to sleep.“

Something upstairs thumbed and you felt your ears perk up. Ah yes.

„That..“ you began, just as your best friend stumbled down the stairs with a loud ‚Oi!‘ „Is my best friend, Keira.“ A grin spread across your face and dared separate the lower part of your face from the upper part as soon as you saw her.

She was huge for a woman - at least 6.2. A strain of long black curly hair fell into her face as she jumped down the stairs and she put it back behind her ear in an negligible fashion. A smile tugged at her lips while her face wore an equal expression of surprise and curiosity. Her eyes were dark pools with a faint light in them - as if stumbling upon water in a cave with the sunlight straying in unexpectedly. She was a ray of sunshine trapped with you on this planet between dust and mold.

„Where’ve you been, Y/N? I thought Butcher got you.“ barely hidden relief tainted her voice as she spoke up.

„He did,“ you snickered and flung yourself into her arms, hugging her close. Yes. This felt like home. The one and only home you ever had.

„It’s a long story, i’ll tell you everything later. I promise.“

„You better do. If Butcher and that cardassian slime worm Malik hear you’re back again…“

You interrupted her with a dismissing wave of your hand, instead nudging with your head into the direction of your starfleet companion.

„I have seen him. I’m not blind, Y/N.“ she rolled her eyes, then crossed her arms in front of her breasts.

„Montgomery Scott, Ma’m.“, for a second you thought he’d salute, but then he just bowed gently. That man was completely wastes on this planet. On you. A hint of bitterness rose somewhere in your brain but you pushed it back as fast as it had appeared.

„Good gracious gods he’s starfleet.“ her gaze flickered over to you. You shrugged unapologetically. „You’re into starfleet types now?“ - „Am not.“ it was your turn to roll your eyes, instead of answering going to wander off to a basket of stale bread that seemed left from yesterday.

„Then you won’t mind, if I…“

A hard gaze from you shut her up in an instant, but only for a second and to take a deep breath to laugh.

„Of course.“, she turned around to Scotty: „Well, Scott, welcomein the forgotten corner of the galaxy.“

Your plan was easy. Go into the auction house where they stored ‚whatever-it’s-round-and-shiny‘-Type-D, steal it, deliver it to the arranged meeting point and say goodbye to Kirk and his Enterprise.

The captain’s plan however, was not that easy, and he and the rest of his trim virate seemed intent on making this one the one you had to follow: Get into the warehouse, at the time of an illegal auction, disguise yourself as potentials buyers and buy the damned thing. According to his first officer this was the safest way to acquire said item.

You disagreed, of course, and an hour long discussion broke out until Kirk had sided with his first officer.

Something about breaking into an illegal warehouse with illegal wares acquired by criminals being too dangerous.

„That’s … ambitious.“ Keira stated cautiously after you’d informed her of the overall idea.

„If anything goes wrong, Captain will beam us out in an instant.“, Scotty leaned back in his chair carefully, his face stern and thoughtful. You glanced his way, remembering with a flash of hot red blood to your cheeks his stern and less thoughtful face from the night before. The low rumble of his voice at your ear and his lips on your hair. Concentrate, Y/N. You’re gonna get yourself killed.

„I don’t see why they don’t get you out like this anyway.“, Keira threw you a side eye.

„Something about starfleet regulations“ you answered, ignoring her pointed look.

„And now where’s my role in all of that?“ she lumped her arm over your shoulder and leaned closer. „What can I do for you and Scott?“

You chuckled and nudged her head against yours.

„Get us time, date and entrance to the next auction. I know you can do that.“

You felt Scottys eyes like a physical presence lying on the two you and suppressed a giggle.

„I can do that. But you have to promise me to be careful.“

„Aren’t I always?“ you exclaimed in mock hurt before laughing.

„No. Just no. Anything but … no.“ she shook her head and stretched in her chair, her arm loosely around your shoulder.

„Mr. Scott“, your usual partner in crime directed her next word at your new partner in crime, a lot more stern then before: „If you don’t bring her back in one piece, you’re gonna have to answer to me.“

„I’d never let someone hurt her.“, he said, his voice and eyes surprisingly soft.

„You’ve got it bad for him, eh?“, Keira whispered into your ear when you accompanied her to the door.

„Yeah. No. He’s nice. But. No.“ you replied, blushing.

„Sure, sure.“, she waved and laughed and was gone a moment after that.

The dark haired engineer still sat in his chair in your kitchen when you came back, feet stretched out on the sandy ground beneath the table and leaned into it comfortably. He watched you as you walked in, expression unfazed. „Ya know when she’ll be back, lass?“, he asked. Two long strides brought you over to his chair. You cocked your head. „At least two cycles on this planet. Which should be 3 days on your ship.“ He raised his eyebrows in an expression of surprise. In fact he looked so surprised that it made you burst out with laughter.

„What. You thought they were waiting for us with that auction? We should be glad if they haven’t sold your whatever in the meantime.“

A small smile tugged at his lips at that and he unfolded his arms in front of his chest. The engineer stretched out his right arm and beckoned you to come closer - a gesture you gladly agreed too, closing that last distance and stepping over his legs. He slung his arm around you as you straddled his lap, his own smile now mirroring on yours.

„Mr. Scott, I wouldn’t have expected that from you.“

„Aye“, he answered and leant forwards to press a hushed kiss on your lips. „We all have our little secrets, lassie.“

„How are we two possibly going to pass the time, huh?“, you whispered, gently moving your hips against his, lips tasting his warm skin.

Keira didn’t need two cycles, but four in total. Which accounted to 6 days on the Enterprise.

Six days of her dropping in on occasion, leaving you with food, new clothes and bits of information.

And six days of Scotty reporting to his Captain on your progress.

But also six days of you two laughing and talking. Six days of entangled limbs on entangled sheets. Six days of getting lost in earnest dark eyes, searching your face for something. Something you didn’t know or he didn’t find. Or maybe he did find it and just didn’t talk about it. There were six days to spend together were you offered him to just go back to the ship, you’d call whenever you were ready, but he was determined to stay although you knew how anxious he was about his ship. You would forever remember how his calloused fingers felt when they touched the soft skin of your thighs. The little kisses he planted on your neck and his soft whispers at night. He was a gentleman to the bottom of his heart - a bit old fashioned at times but good natured and likeable. And every day made you dread the moment Keira would return with news of the auction.

It was at the evening of the sixth day when Keira practically leapt into the house, remarked „Glad you’re dressed this time“ with a hushed voice as soon as she saw you and closed the door behind her a little bit too fast.

Shrugging unapologetically you grinned at her, but that grin faded fast.

„Any news?“

„Good and bad“, she responded and tore the shawl from her face and a coat off her shoulders.

„There’s a auction tomorrow evening. I got the password, the location, you just need to bring the money.“

„Brilliant!“ Scotty said, straightening up in his chair.

„Yes.“ Keira stretched that word a little too much. You had been working with her for such a long time, you knew something was up. Catching up on your raised eyebrows and concerned expression, she shook her head ever so slightly.

„It’s the slime worm. He knows you’re back.“

You let out the ugliest ‚Ugh‘ in human existence - if someone had emptied a bucket of maggots right over your head you couldn’t have been any more disgusted.

„Lass. May I ask what yer problem with him is?“

„He’s got some mad delusions about me owing him money.“

„Your ‚lass‘ here“, Keira began, much to your general annoyance, „had been on a run with him a while ago.“

„Oh, that was three months ago!“ you exclaimed. „Really. There’s not much to it and he is clearly overreacting.“

„I can only imagine“, mumbled Scotty deadpan - which prompted a chuckle from Keira.

„Maybe I got a bit carried away with dividing the loot in my favor, but that is surely nothing to hold a grudge over.“

„He wants to fucking murder you,Y/N.“

„As I said, Scotty, completely overreacting.“

Despite your ardent affirmation of Malik ‚slime-worms‘ utter madness you somehow got the impression that Keira and Scotty were silently but amicably siding against you.

„Does he know we’re here?“, you asked instead of delving into the topic further.

„Sadly - yes.“, as if there was a secret prompt you didn’t know about there was a tumult a little down the street - some shouting and bellowing. Voices a tad bit too strained for your taste. A bit too familiar too.

„Shit.“, you summarized, jumping into action immediately.

„I know where we’re gonna go. Scotty. Grab your stuff we’re outta here through the back door.“

Scotty was fast and efficient but obviously uncomfortable, grabbing his phaser from the table and hastily gathering the few belongings he had down here. The both of you needed less then a minute - needless to say the increasing volume and general direction the noise was taking helped a great deal along to get the two of you up to speed.

„Backdoor, backdoor.“ you muttered, grabbed his hand and led him past the kitchen into an inconspicuous storage room.

„This shelf here.“, you braced your shoulder against a dusty old thing that looked like it would fall apart by being looked at and started to push. It was surprisingly heavy, probably because it was screwed to a reinforced hidden door. The engineer pushed you away - ‚out of the way, lass‘ - and opened it within seconds. Keira used the opportunity to push a crumbled note into your hand and peck a kiss on your forehead. „Be careful.“

You smiled and opened your mouth to say something as fists knocked heavily on the front door. The backdoor closed behind you and for a second darkness engulfed you and Montgomery Scott.

As your eyes slowly attuned to the sudden absence of bright daylight it became obvious that the path in front of you was neither as dark as Montgomery Scott had first thought, nor as abandoned as it had seemed by the heavy going door.

„Keira and I have used this way occasionally to get in and out for jobs“, you whispered and started heading down the path. Scotty did not try to get any more details of the jobs you were referring too - he’d probably not wanted to know anyway.

He simply stated: „Yer livin’ dangerously.“ and left it at that. You were not sure wether you could feel a faint bit of judgement in his voice.

That’s why you answered: „It’s not easy living here, you know, Scotty“ and felt like an idiot the second after you had muttered your rebuttal. He said nothing and although it was not pitch black and you could comfortably make out the path before you, it was too dark to read the features on his face next to you.

„Keira and I… grew up without parents. There’s not much of a job here for you if you got no one and once those in charge know your face, it’s over for you anyway.“ you babbled on, listening horrified to yourself as you spilled whatever your brain wanted to make clear to him without as much as a second thought.

„And…“ you stopped dead in your tracks in a moment, looking up at him. You gritted your teeth. „Well, it’s not like any starfleet officers come down here to collect orphans from the street.“ that last sentence felt completely uncalled for and bitter and like acid on your tongue. You took a deep breath and brushed past him, but his heavy hand landed on your shoulder within seconds.

„Lass.“, he began and before you could say anything else: „Y/N.“, softer now, careful again like in the beginning when you still had to get to know each other. „I dinnae judge ya. Ya’ve had it bad down here. I understand.“, he took a deep breath. Now he was the one gently pushing you forward, not forgetting the threat that was quite possibly behind you. „I wasnae there, ye know. Never been an orphan.“ he pushed you around a corner, his hand still heavy on your shoulder. „Maybe .. if ye want… ye can come aboard the Enterprise. Ye’r smart. Ye’r quick with yer fingers.“

The both of you came to a sudden halt before a door and you stared up at him. For a moment every thought of danger was pushed away by a sudden feeling of hope - and then crushing guilt as you thought of Keira. Leaving her behind? You turned away from him and pushed the door open, stepping into a dark room - only illuminated by a few rays of light sneaking it’s way through the cracks of a wooden door over your heads. A staircase made of sandstone. Boxes scattered lay on the floor with silken clothes draped over them as if dismissed. „Let’s go upstairs“, you said, carefully closing the door behind you and giving him a wry smile. „And,“ you said and turned around for a second, „please let me do the talking, Scotty.“

The room you entered had all the telltale, a bit over the top cliché signs of a brothel: Dimmed lights and red silks, cushions, drinks and men and women in barely any clothing at all.

„Y/N!“ bellowed a voice through the room, startling more then one person - yourself included. It took you a moment to process the hulking figure coming over to you before you could exclaim: „Theri! What a pleasure to see you! How long has it been?“

The huge hulking figure turned out to be the largest Andorian Montgomery Scott had ever seen - the color of his skin like a lagoon at night and features that looked as if they were cut out of a tree stump by an untalented carpenter.

„20 cycles.“ he seemed unimpressed by your jovial behavior.

„Yes, yes. Far too long.“

„Or too short.“, he stopped only a few inches in front of you, his chest nearly touching yours. You had to crane your neck upwards to look into his face. You had always had the impression that his antenna were watching you like a second pair of eyes. A very very very odd and slightly disturbing pair of eyes, to be quite honest.

„What did she do?“ - the question was out of the chief engineers mouth faster then you could step on his food - which you did anyway and earned you a short yelp. Theri on the other hand looked downright gleeful.

„We agreed on never talking about it again, if she never turned up again.“ he said, his eyes still locked with yours.

„Look, Theri. We’re both reasonable people.“

Both him and Scotty snorted.

„Well, you are a reasonable person and you know I’m gonna make it up to you. The whole… incident here. It’s not gonna happen again, you know.“

He clicked his tongue.

„Whatever you’re planning…“, he began, the look of a man on his face that was weighing his options on how to best get rid of an impudent rat he found in the kitchen, snout in his dinner.

„I want half of it. Over the next half year.“

You suppressed a groan, but nodded.

„Okay, okay, we have a deal - we have a room for the night?“

Scotty opened his mouth as if to protest and you nudged him hard in the ribs. Theris eyes moved over to the engineer for the first time during your conversation, giving him a quick once-over before shrugging it off.

„You pay extra for additional services. And no stunts.“


	6. Chapter 6

Montgomery Scott pointedly cleared his throat as soon as the door to your room closed behind the two of you.

You chose to ignore it, instead inspecting the lavish red satin sheets, the heavy wool drapes in front of the windows, the dim ray of outside light cutting the room in half, dust dancing from one side to the other.

„Could be worse“, you said with a smile that felt forced even for your standards.

„Do I… wanna now about the brothel incident?“, Scotty asked, ignoring your statement and not before clearing his throat once more.

You seized him up, then shook your head.

„You really don’t.“

„I really dinnae.“ he repeated and lifted an eyebrow. Spock would’ve been proud of him.

You gave him a crooked smile that would’ve prompted another question, if it hadn’t knocked on your door at the same time. Without asking for response a grinning redhead shove her head in, freckles covering her beaming red face. She was something between 20 and 50 and would have protested violently if one had called her ‚motherly‘.

* * *

„Aaaaaaah“ she said and stifled a giggle.

You rolled her eyes at her.

„You’re back and Theri hasn’t killed you. Nice job.“

You muttered something under your breath, glancing at Scotty, daring him to say anything, something really.

„Just wanted to check it was really you. All the girls are talking about you.“

„Thank you, Mora.“

She closed the door behind her and was gone with that.

„I..“ Scotty started but immediately stopped again.

„No.“, you stated simply and let out a deep sigh.

„Mora’s Theris wife. Partners in crime for only they themselves know how long. Married. This here“, you gestured as if to catch the room and the house „is their retirement. They’re good people.“

There was some sort of non committal sound from Scottys general direction, but he didn’t add to that.

„Ye really don’t…“

„No. Scotty. Don’t force me to. It was no glorious day.“

His look grew curious at that, but he knew better then to dig deeper at this time.

„We should get some sleep.“ you said and hastily added: „Proper sleep. And then we’ll talk our plan through.“

The plan was easy - you’d go in. You’d bid on whatever parts Scotty needed and didn’t get at the normal shops. Then you’d get out of there as fast as possible, drop Scotty of at the arranged point and get back to your old life.

Would you, though.

You stared at his dark hair as he bowed down to inspect some plans Keira had dropped off for you. He was so focused. Did he remember what he had said to you, just a few hours ago? Did he think of that or had it only been an off hand remark to calm you down? Had he regretted what he had said, offered really?

You took a deep breath as if trying to collect your courage but then he looked up at you and smiled sheepishly and you smiled back and it felt as if your heart was tied to his smile and would break into a million pieces if it ever ceased to exist.

„Ye ready for that, lass?“ concern traced his features and you forced yourself to smile once more.

„Not my first time, Mr. Scott. Nothing to worry about.“ you answered, trying to put an undertone of tease into your voice and failing miserably. Yeah. He would break your heart.

„Ye sure about that?“ he inquired and moved over, extending one arm to pull you close. „Yer no trained starfleet officer,“ you opened your mouth to protest, but he lifted his index finger and pressed it gently on your lips. „I know, I know, lass. Ye’ve survived so long. Ye can look after yerself. Yer a grown woman.“ his finger slid from your lips and under your chin, lifting it so that he could press a small kiss on each corner of your lips. „Let an old fool be worried for ya, will ya?“ he murmured.

„Okay“, you whispered. You searched his face, his eyes.

„Monty …“ he perked up at the use of his first name, or part of his first name at least. „Did you… I mean…“, you drew in another deep breath but all the air in the world didn’t seem to suffice for what you wanted to say. „Down in the tunnel. What you said there. I mean…“

„Yes“

„Yes?“ you looked down on your fingers nervously weaving them, wrenching them really.

„I meant it. Come back with me. To the Enterprise.“

„But…“

„No but. Ye. Me. We’ll figure it out.“

Again that sheepish smile of his. The urge to bury your hands in his hair and kiss him again rose in your chest but was subdued by another feeling. Guilt.

„The Captain?“, you asked instead and cocked your head ever so slightly.

„He won’t mind. Captain Kirk is a fine man. One of the best i’ve ever met.“ He was so sure about it. Everything. Your heart dropped.

„Keira…“ you whispered, your fingers now interlocked, one hand holding the other. He gently put his hand on your entangled fingers and squeezed them slightly.

„If she wants to leave too, we’ll make room for her as well.“

You opened your mouth in protest again and this time he pressed his lips on yours, fiercely. Determined. When you separated, you had to catch your breath first and he took the chance to speak again.

„If ye want it and if it is what makes ye happy - I’ll make it happen. If ye want yer best friend on that ship I’ll find a spot for her somewhere. I dinnae everything. I dinnae how everything’ll work out. But… hey… look at me, lass.“ he caught your chin again and smiled. „I dinnae if ye wanna stay with me… but I wanna try. Ye just have to say it.“

Again - A deep and heavy breath drawn in slowly, deliberately. You pressed your lips together, then nodded and his face lightened up. He pulled you into a full embrace and you stifled a laugh. „Okay…“, you buried your face at his shoulder. „Okay, let’s do this“, you said again, your voice now muffled through the fabric of his shirt and with a giddy heart, beating fast and hard in your chest. Yes. You were going to do this. You were going to leave this planet. You were going away with him. In this moment, this exact second there was no room for doubt or guilt, just the indestructible conviction of young lovers.

* * *

The evening of the auction drew closer now and as soon as the sun began to set, the two of you left the brothel and got on your way. It was a beautiful day. A beautiful day for a heist and to leave the planet you called home. By now Scotty blended in with the locals as good as possible for a starfleet engineer. The auction house was, of course, unassuming. It was just a house with curtains draped in front of the windows, like any other in the street. You stepped up to the door and knocked three times, then waited for it to crack open and said, as clearly as possible: „The klingon warbird has raised the sun.“ - „And the romulan waiter will serve Plomeek tea.“ The door opened and you were in.

In contrast to the still hot sand and the warm breeze outside the inside of the house felt cold and almost humid. It was the kind of humidity that reminded one of mold and neglect, of old abandoned houses and low hanging cobwebs filled with spiders. You were led through a corridor, past stairs that once connected to the next floor. But the steps were now broken and cracked at so many places that only a madmen would consider using them to get upstairs. You memorized the place as a possible exit point. Past the corridor was a small quadratic room. The grout was peeling off the room, black and grey mold showing in the corners and under the ceiling. From there a flight of steps led further down into a cellar room. Mr. Scott was close behind you that he touched your back on occasion. You enjoyed his reassuring presence. The underground room opened up into some sort of miniature cavern after the first few meters of lingering darkness. It was this cavern now that was filled with items on small tables, each with a corresponding number. Roughly guessing how much time had passed since your arrival you’d have maybe have half an hour before the auction started. This was also the point were your escort left you, so you grabbed the engineers arm and dragged him to the displays.

„Let’s find what you need, then bid and get out of here as fast as possible.“ you muttered and he nodded in agreement. „I have a bad feeling about this.“

A nervous prickle ran down your spine as you strolled the items on display, glancing and on occasion marveling here and there. The items exhibited were worth more then you’d ever dream of possessing - beautiful rare diamonds in the color of rainbows, artifacts from worlds that were forbidden to enter, wondrous and dangerous materials stolen from meteorites and dimensional rifts. But also starfleet issued materials that had no reason beyond being stolen or taken as a bribe to be here: Dilithium crystals in Federation marked boxes, several parts of Starfleet issue shuttles, uniforms and a few faked ID cards. You practically jerked Mr. Scott away from the last ones, heading straight over to that Type D Warpcore thing that you did indeed remembers.

„I taught ye well, lass.“ the scotsman chuckled.

„Let’s grab our seats,“ he then muttered in a low voice and gently pushed you away from starfleets hearts desire.

The auction in itself was downright boring and surprisingly civilized, which only further drove the point of your low standing on this planets society home. There was no point of being afraid to be spotted by someone, because these people here did not just dabble in petty thievery like you did. They excelled in it. They had businesses based on what happened here. The sudden insight stung a bit and repulsion swelled in your chest like bile - what a thrown a way chance to rob these people. To really hit them with something they didn’t expect. But you and Mr. Scott were nice little actors playing along in their game of power. You huffed a cuss that was too low to ruffle any feathers but loud enough to grab the scotsman’s attention for a second. He lifted his eyebrow quizzically, but you shook your head and pointed back to the leader of ceremonies. The Type-D-Whatever was next. While the starfleet officer was doing his job you let your eyes wander the crowd. So many fine looking people, you thought. So many fine looking people and Malik and his gang back in the last row. Fuck.

Without making eye contact - you certainly hoped he hadn’t seen you - you turned back to the front. Scottys bid seemed to have come through, as they were wrapping up the item already and his furrowed brow expressed a sort of satisfaction.

You plucked at his ellbow.

„Lass?“ he murmured softly.

„If we don’t wanna get emergency-beamed-up“, you mumbled careful to only barely move your lips in case someone was watching. „We should grab your big price and get out of here. Malik’s there.“

His lips formed a silent ‚Oh‘, but he caught himself quickly and nodded. „Let’s go.“

You hushed away from your places, careful to duck your heads and move quickly and silently. Or, phrased differently: You were as suspicious as humanly possible and while most people didn’t seem to notice or mind, one person in the room certainly did.

Clinging to what little self control you had at this moment you forced yourself to not look over your shoulder every other minute. You did glance into every solid and somewhat reflective surface that presented itself to you though, trying desperately to determine wether or not the slime word had seen and followed you. The time it took for Scotty to complete the transaction, for the bank chips he had brought to be checked and the item to be handed over nearly drove you mad with frustration and anxiety. You needed to get out of here. You were a fish out of water.

Mr. Scotts put a heavy hand on your shoulder, urging you gently to start moving. After you’d taken the first steps and moved away from other people he bowed down and whispered: „Captain will teleport us out of here as soon as we’re out of here. You got your Combadge?“ You nodded, now openly peering over your shoulder to indeed catch a glimpse of Malik walking into your direction. He moved with deliberate steps, his entourage following him in a short distance. Shit.

There was no escort on the way out - either they trusted you to find the way back on your own now, or Malik had struck a deal with them and they didn’t care. Your hopes lingered on the first option but deep down you knew it was the second one. Sneaky bastard.

Once you reached the end of the cavern and the beginning of the hallway Scottys steps fastened and you fell into a light jog next to him. Malik was considerably closer now and his gang started to spread out, like wolves circling prey. Neither of you wanted to get caught in the dark with them. You sped up, ducking into the darkness back into the first cellar room and hastily climbed up the stairs.

„Stop running Y/N. There’s no reason to run, I just want to…“ his chuckle echoed through the passage, „… have a nice little chat.“

„I bet“, you yelled back earning yourself a cross look from your starfleet officer. That was unnecessary and provoking, but if you had to die here, you’d not die silently.

You hushed through up the stairs and through the room, back to the front door which you found - „Locked.“, you muttered. The engineer bumped into you, then shoved you to the side and tried pushing the door with his broad shoulders. It didn’t move an inch.

„Now, now. How about we all stop running and discuss this like civilized people.“. You didn’t like the inflection Malik had on ‚discuss‘ and ‚civilized‘ one bit.

„The stairs, Scotty“ you muttered and began to jolt for the broken steps. „Stay here, lass!“ the scotsman yelled now, grabbing his communicator. „Transporter room, two to beam up.“

Maliks bloodhound jumped at the chance and sprinted forwards, trying to catch you before you reached the stairs.

He was maybe big and bulky, but you were a tad bit faster.

Golden light caught you, as well as the scotsman and you froze in mid stairs.

„Tell her to not move, Mr. Scott!“ that was someones voice through the communicator. The bloodhound grinned and jumped and you felt the tingle of the transporter and you saw Montgomery Scott face painfully distort as the bloodhound grabbed you, his hands ripping at your arm and pulling you down. The weak and rotten planks giving in under the combined weight. The chief engineer of the Enterprise dematerialized as you tumbled down in limbs and broken wood and sharp edges, the beam leaving you and the entangled mess off a situation down there.

* * *

„We lost her, Mr. Scott.“

„Try again“

„There is just too much going on. I can’t lock on her life signs.“

„Try harder.“

„Mr. Scott.“, Kirks voice cut through the room.

„Captain, we’ve got to beam her up.“

„We can’t, Sir. I can’t properly lock on her life sign. She’s moving too fast. Too many people.“

„Ye dinnae know what yer doing, let me sit there.“, the chief engineer relieved the transporter officer and his fingers started scurrying over the display in front of him.

„Mr. Scott, I need you on your post. We have received a distress signal and must depart immediately.“

„Captain,“ the scotsman practically begged now.

„We would have beamed you up in a few minutes one way or another.“

„Captain, she needs my help.“

„Mr. Scott. That was an order.“

„Jim!“

Kirk stopped dead in his track, blinking once, then twice. He turned his head around, watching his chief of engineering closely.

„Give her a short on-planet-transport to get her out of harms way, then man your post, Mr. Scott“ the Captains look was apologetically.

* * *

The transporter beam grabbed you a second time, just as you had sunken your teeth in Maliks arm and he was screaming like a little child, much to your satisfaction. Blood ran down your face from a laceration on your forehead. „No. NO. NO.“ he started yelling as he too realized what had happened, but you already vanished before his eyes.

* * *

„Captain“

The Enterprise hummed at Warp 6, away from  _her_.

„Looks like you’ve underestimated their bond, Jim.“, Bones muttered, staring at his tricorder.

They were in Kirks ready room and the chief engineer was upset enough to not sit down. Captain Kirk eyed him kindly.

„I understand your position, Mr. Scott.“ he finally said, ignoring the doctor as well as his first officers pointed look.

„But you transported her to safety. I am sorry we couldn’t keep you up to date down there. After we’ve handled the situation Starfleet assigned us, we’ll be back.“

„That’ll be months,“ the engineer exclaimed and his shoulders slumped, defeated.

_Perhaps even more_  - the Captain thought and was grateful for Spocks silence.

„We’ll be back. That’s my promise as your captain.“

* * *

„You think he’ll be back?“ Keira asked, her dark eyes searching your face for something.

„Hm“, you mumbled and closed your eyes.

That day. It still felt so close and yet so surreal - there had been this fleeting evening filled to the brim with hope. Hope of another life. Hope of adventure. Hope for … well.

„He’s a starfleet officer. He’s probably at the other side of the Galaxy right now.“

Your old friend clicked with her tongue dismissively and sat down next to you.

„You look gloomy, Y/N“ she said and her hand gently touched your cheek. You felt your lips twitch with a smile and opened your eyes again, stretching your aching feet and back.

„He didn’t leave you. That transport was no coincidence. You don’t know what had happened up there.“

„They left. That is what happened.“

She let out a frustrated sigh.

„You think he … knew something?“

„And ran? No. Not the type.“ she replied gently and lend you her arm to get up.

„Well“, you finally said, putting your hand gently on your belly. „He’s got a few weeks left to be there on time.“


End file.
